August Burns Red with Northlane, Miss May I, Fit for a King, and ERRA – The Phoenix Concert Theatre, Toronto – January 30, 2015

Review and Photos by Aaron Tamachi

http://www.augustburnsred.com/
https://www.facebook.com/northlane
http://www.mmiriseofthelion.com/
http://fitforakingband.com/
http://erramusic.com/

August Burns Red

Despite the frigid cold that descended on Toronto, the anxious crowd was warmed up quickly by ERRA, a band that proved to be a solid opener for the show and encouraged a lot of fan interaction.  Their performance was highly anticipated among fans, especially in light of their separation from Garrison Lee (vocals) and Alan Rigdon (guitar).

ERRA

Fit for a King sounded amazing.  Unfortunately, however, many in the crowd complained about the lack of visibility during the band’s relatively short setlist, and many show goers appeared bored.  It wasn’t that Fit for a King performed badly – au contraire – it was more a case of fans being completely divided for each band, a fact that was apparent throughout the night as loyalty towards each performance continued to switch up.

Miss May I took the stage to a roar of approval, and front man Levi Benton met their excitement with on point screams.  As the band delivered of cherry picking of tracks from their discography, the crowd got into the spirit of the show with a steady stream of bodies that cascaded over the barricade and into the pit.

Miss May I

Northlane was excellent, with new web-found vocalist Marcus Bridge taking over duties for Adrian Fitipaldes who departed earlier in 2014.  Bridge proved that his live sound is not too far removed from Fitipaldes, which thrilled attending show goers. Their set delivered great sound along with an amazing physical presence, and the crowd was quick to show their appreciation.  It was great to see this kind of fan loyalty for this Australian band.

August Burns Red

August Burns Red ALWAYS puts on a great show, and this night was no exception. In my dozen times of seeing this band, they’ve proven to have a very consistent path.  However, the show has remained virtually unchanged for the past four years, and again this night was no exception.  They played their set, which consisted of select songs from all previous albums, delivered their requisite drum solo, left the stage and returned for a two-song encore. The only part of the set that stood out was when Matt Greiner began the drum solo, the lighting was perfectly timed with his movements, and eventually the entire band joined in and collectively participated.